


Reconnected

by ifonlyiwaswittier



Series: Unrelated Eruri [10]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: (kinda), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Coffee Shops, Erwin is a biologist, Established Relationship, First Dates, Fluff, Husbands, Levi is a realtor, M/M, Slice of Life, Very sweet and sappy, it's what our old men deserve okay, lots of fluff, mentions of Armin the bio student/yoga instructor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-11 15:17:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15318324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ifonlyiwaswittier/pseuds/ifonlyiwaswittier
Summary: Levi thought it was a pretty ridiculous idea, truth be told. But Erwin had read that it would "keep the romance alive" in one of his old man magazines and wouldn't stop talking about how fun it sounded, which is how Levi found himself getting coffee with his "long lost friend" Erwin after nearly 20 years of marriage.





	Reconnected

“Sorry, I didn’t know if you took milk or sugar,” Erwin said as he sat down a cup of tea and a handful of sugar and creamer packets. After knowing each other for over 20 years, of course Erwin knew that Levi drank his tea black and that no, of course he hadn’t tried the mocha at the cafe down the block because coffee was tied with rum for the title of World’s Worst Drink. But when Levi had said as much, Erwin had told him to  _ play along _ in no uncertain terms so here they were, pretending to be “long lost friends” because one of Erwin’s old man magazines had said it would “keep the romance alive”.

“Um, thanks,” Levi said, nudging the packets aside so he could bring his tea closer and blow on the surface.

“So what do you do for work these days, Levi?” Erwin asked. He ripped open another packet, stirring the sugar into his coffee and Levi had to bite his tongue so he didn’t snap that  _ his doctor had said _ -.

“I’m a realtor,” Levi said instead. “I know I don’t seem like the type but people like it when you don’t bullshit them.”

“Oh,” Erwin hummed with his signature smirk and goddammit Levi couldn’t help the butterflies-in-his-stomach feeling he hadn’t felt around Erwin in decades. “So you must live in a really nice house then?”

Levi shrugged. “Yeah, it’s nice. I mean my husband and I bought it a long time ago and neither of our careers had really taken off yet so it’s small and kind of old but…” Levi shrugged again, eyes fixed on the dark surface of his tea but he knew Erwin was beaming at him anyway and blush crept up the back of his neck. “It’s home. It’s got him in it and I don’t really need anything else.”

Levi blew on his tea, the silence holding the comfort of years of knowledge even though they had “just reconnected”.

“So what about you? Where do you work?” Levi asked.

“Well,” Erwin began, eyes lighting up like he always did when talked about work, “I was a molecular biology professor for a long time. I really loved it, it was great to help make the scientists of the future. But a few of my former students- well, one particularly brilliant one and his friends- approached me with an idea for some new medical tech-” Erwin cut himself off, blushing. The fake first date thing must be getting to him too. “Sorry, I’m rambling.”

“No, it sounds interesting.”

“I’ll spare you the details,” Erwin continued, “But the university wouldn’t fund the research. So we decided to create our own startup. I really think we’re onto something. We could change the world.”

It was easy for Levi to forget sometimes, between burnt dinners and takeout containers, between singing in the shower and B-budget movies, that he was married to a goddamn genius. The world was a better place for having Erwin Smith in it. Levi’s life was too.

“Are you married too?”

Erwin’s smile grew impossibly wider. “Yeah. We’ve been together 18 years next month.”

“Must be a lucky man,” Levi sighed, hiding his smile behind his mug.

“No, not at all,” Erwin chuckled. He reached out and took Levi’s hand across the table. “He’s smart and caring and-”

“I’ve heard he can be a bit of an asshole.”

Erwin squeezed Levi’s hand tighter. “Yes, he can be, but never without good reason. Usually I started it.”

“Remember that next time you get all huffy, okay?”

“I will, I will,” Erwin laughed. “But even though he can be grumpy and a neat freak and-”

“Wow, sounds like a real keeper,” Levi interjected with an eye roll.

“Sometimes I wake up in the morning and he’s still asleep and he’s not exactly the cutest sleeper, you know- he gets the worst bed head because he refuses to cut his hair short even though he’s almost 50-”

“44 is not almost 50.”

“But I look at him and think- I’m the luckiest person alive because I get to wake up everyday next to the man who’s made me happier than anything.”

Blush burned Levi’s face, still painfully obvious even though his pale skin had darkened with all the jog around the park or hikes outside the city that he and Erwin went on these days. He imagined the blush settling in the wrinkles on his face, the laugh lines and crow's feet they were both sporting now, years of happiness aging them gently. He wanted to say he felt the same way but even after all these years, or perhaps because of all the years, he still didn’t have the words to encompass the enormity of the love he felt.

Instead he brought his hand to Erwin’s hair, running his fingers through the blond that Erwin insisted wasn’t greying, and kissed him on the cheek. Erwin’s eyes met his, still as blue and as goddamn intense as the first day they’d met, and Levi thought about how old age was making Erwin handsome in all sorts of new and exciting ways but some things would never change.

Levi cleared his voice around the lump in his throat. “Finish your coffee, Blondie. Yoga’s at noon.”

“Can’t we skip?” Erwin groaned.

“Armin would be mad at us if we skipped again.” Levi said, imagining the look of anger, well disappointment really, that Erwin’s former student turned business partner and part time yoga instructor would give them. Erwin sighed.

“Well, Levi, this has been really nice,” he said as he stood and put his absurd number of empty sugar packets in his empty mug. “I’ve got a yoga class with my husband noon but it’s been great to see you, we should do this more often.”

Smirking, Levi took a sip of his tea and caught Erwin’s eyes shining beyond the rim of his cup. Maybe the stupid old man magazine had been right.


End file.
